Fuel-supply tank.



A. W. HUTCHINS.

FUEL SUPPLY TANK.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 29, 1909.

Patented July 30, 1912.

kakmwt Ru? Qcm s I NVENTQ ARTHUR W. HUTCHIN S, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODEISLAND, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM C. WOODWARD, OF PROVIDENCE,RHODE ISLAND.

FUEL-SUPPLY TANK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Fatented July 30, 1912.

Application filed September 29, 1909. Serial No. 520,095.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR W. HU'I'CH- INS, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State ofRhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fuel-Supply Tanks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in liquid-fuel tanks for motorvehicles, and it consists in certain novel features of construction andarrangement, all as more fully hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In tanks of the character referred to, and as usually devised andemployed in selfpropelled vehicles, as for example, automobiles, themain tank or reservoir, for containing gasolene or other liquid fuelcapable of being converted into an explosive mixture and utilized in theengine for driving the vehicle, is further provided with a small,independent, auxiliary container, commonly termed an emergency tank,which is attached or disposed immediately contiguous to the main tankand having a controlled outlet therefrom communicating with the tube orconnection leading from the main supply-tank to the engine. It may bestated here that the purposeand function of the said smaller tank(assuming it to be kept normally filled with the fuel) is to temporarilysupply'the engine with fuel in case of an emergency or unusual conditionor predicament, as for example in the event that the fuel in the maintank becomes exhausted, say a few miles distant from the nearestlocality or fuel-supply station. It frequently happens, however, thatwhen such a contingency arises the auxiliary tank will be found whollyempty or at most only partly filled with oil. This defect or abnormalcondition of the auxiliary tank may be due to various causes, such asnegligence, accident, leakage, oversight, &c. The main and emergencytanks usually have independent charging nozzles or cappedinlet-openings, consequently it may happen that after charging themaintank with oil the other or small tank may be overlooked orforgotten, so that (assuming it to be wholly or partly empty) in case ofneed the reliedupon supply of oil from the latter will be wholly lackingor inadequate to furnish enough fuel to reach the nearest base offuel-supply.

The object of the present invention is to devise and produce aliquid-fuel reservoir having an emergency tank constructed, arranged andcombined with the main tank so as to overcome all the disadvantages andobjections above named. The device is simple, reliable, comparativelyinexpensive to manufacture, not liable to get out of order,

and in a degree automatic in its action? That is to say, the smallertank 'is located with respect to the main tank so that the act ofcharging the latter, whether it is to be wholly or only partly filledwith the fuel, necessarily operates to first fill the smaller tank; thecontinued action causing the fuel Figure 1 represents a side elevationof'a liquid-fuel tank embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is acorresponding top plan view, the valved connections being omitted.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation viewed from the left of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is avertical sectional view, enlarged, taken online 4t 4 of Fig. 2, showingthe upper portion of the reservoir and an arrangement or relation of thecharging or inlet-nozzles. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the inlet-nozzle ofthe small tank, detached; andFig. 6 is a top view of a selfclosingvalve, adapted to keep the lastnamed nozzle normally closed.

In the drawings, A designates one form and arrangement of my improvedliquidfuel reservoir or tank as a whole, and as adapted foruse inautomobiles, motor-boats, & c. The body, a, of the tank, usually made ofsheet-metal, may have any desired or suitable shape and size. Asrepresented it has a rectangular shape. It is provided, say at the frontend near the bottom, with an outlet or discharge pipe, (I, and stopvalved}, for controlling the outflow of the oil or liquid-fuel from themain tank tothe engine, substantially as usual. It is also provided witha top filling or charging nozzle, a and removable screw-cap 0 fit-= tingthe same; 1; indicates an air-vent.

cated at the bottom of tank 6, extends outwardly therefrom and connectsthe latter with said pipe d; a valve, 6 serving to control the outflowof fuel from the smaller.

tank. A charging-nozzle, f, is shown 10- catedin' the top end, 5 of thelast-named tank, the same, as drawn, being positioned directly below andin alinement with the said nozzle (1- It is provided'with a flange, fadapted to lie flatwise upon the end 6 and be soldered thereto. The bodypart of the nozzle may have a vertically fluted or corrugated tubularform (see Fig. 5), thereby providing large. air and oiloverflowpassages, k around the exterior of the removable hose or pipe h(indicated by broken lines) while the tanks are being filled with oilfrom the base or source of supply.

A suitable, light, self-closing valve may be employed for keeping thenozzle f normally. closed; the valve 'w is, as drawn, provided with anarm, 'w secured to a pivotpin 71 journaled in the depending cars 6 Anextension, 'w of said arm carries a weight, w, capable of causing thevalve to swing upwardly to its seat from the wide open positionindicated by dotted lines in Fig. 4:. If desired, small air-vent holes,p, may be pierced through the valve.

The manner of operation is obvious: A ssuming both tanks to be empty,(the, valves d and 0 then being closed) the screw-cap c is firstremoved, followed by inserting the open end of a hose, h, or other tube(indicated by dotted lines) connected with the source of fuel-supply,down through the nozzles a. and f the desired distance, the valve wbeing opened thereby and swung downward, as indicated by dotted lines inFig. 4:. The inflow of oil through the hose 'hose is withdrawn, thevalve at the same time automatically closing the nozzle f, followed byreplacing the cap. 0, thus completing the operation of charging the twotanks of the reservoir.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by United States LettersPatent :H r 1. In a liquid-fuel reservoir for motorvehicles, thecombination of a chambered main tank having inlet-and outlet nozzles, arelativeiy small auxiliary tank located within the main tank having aself-closing inlet-nozzle disposed below said main inletnozzle, saidauxiliary :inlet-nozzle, when open, causing the chambers of both thesaid tanks to intercommunicate, and an independent discharge-outlet fromthe auxiliary tank;

2. As an improved article of manufacture, a liquid-fuel reservoir deviceconsisting of a normally closed main tankhaving independent inlet anddischarge openings, an auxiliary tank having relatively smallercapacitythan the main tank and located within the latter, a filling-nozzlelocated in the upper port-ion of the smaller tank adapted, when open, torender both'tanks intercommunicating, a' self-closing valve for keepingthe said filling-nozzle normally closed, and a controlled outlet leadingfrom the lower portion ofthe auxiliary tank.

Intest-imony whereof, I have affixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

ARTHUR, W. HUTOHINS':

Witnesses t GEO. I-I. REMINGTON, CALVIN H. BROWN.

